20th-century-english-literature

120thCenturyEnglishLiterature2Inthislecture,youwilllearn•Thesocialbackground•Ideologicalbackground•Realisminthe20thcenturyEnglishliterature•Modernism•ThepoetryinEnglandinthe20thcentury•Themodernisticnovel•Themodernisticdrama•Representativewritersofthisage3TheSocialBackground•1.Thenaturalandsocialsciencesdevelopmentledtogreatgainsinmaterialwealth.•2.Frequenteconomicdepressionsandmassunemploymentsharpenedthecontradictionsbetweentherichandthepoor.•3.ThecatastrophictwoworldwarstremendouslyweakenedtheBritishEmpireandbroughtaboutgreatsufferingstoitspeopleaswell.4TheSocialBackground•TheappallingshockoftheFirstWorldWarseverelydestroyspeople’sfaithintheVictorianvalues;thepostwareconomicdislocationandspiritualdisillusionproducedaprofoundimpactupontheBritishpeople,whocametoseetheprevalentwretchednessincapitalism.•TheSecondWorldWarmarkedthelaststageofthedisintegrationoftheBritishEmpire.Britainsufferedheavylossesinthewar:thousandspeoplewerekilled;theeconomywasruined;andalmostallitsformercolonieswerelost.Peoplewereineconomic,culturalandbeliefcrises.5IdeologicalBackground•Ideologically,theriseoftheirrationalphilosophyandnewsciencegreatlyincitedmodernwriterstomakenewexplorationsonhumannaturesandhumanrelationships.•1.ThetheoryofScientificSocialismputforwardbyKarlMarxandFriedrichEngelsnotonlyprovidedaguidingprinciplefortheworkingpeople,butalsoinspiredthemtomakedauntlessfightsfortheirownemancipation.•2.TheSocialDarwinismunderthecoverof“survivalofthefittest”,vehementlyadvocatedcolonialismorjingoism(侵略主义).•3.Freud’sanalyticallypsychologydrasticallyalteredpeople’sconceptionofhumannature.6Realisminthe20thCenturyEnglishLiterature•Realismwas,toacertainextent,eclipsedbytherapidriseofmodernisminthe1920s.•Inthe1930s,novelistsbegantoturntheirattentiontotheurgentsocialproblems.Theyalsoenrichedthetraditionalwaysofcreationbyadoptingsomemodernisttechniques.However,therealistnovelsofthisperiodweremoreorlesstouchedbyapessimisticmood,preoccupiedwiththethemeofman’sloneliness,andshapedindifferentforms:socialsatiresbyAldousHuxleyandGeorgeOrwell,comicsatiresontheEnglishupperclassbyEvelynWaugh;andCatholicnovelsbyGrahamGreene.7Realisminthe20thCenturyEnglishLiterature•“TheAngryYoungMan•Agroupofyoungnovelistsandplaywrightswithlower-middle-classorworking-classbackgroundinthemid-1950sandearly1960s.•TheydemonstratedaparticulardisillusionoverthedepressingsituationinBritainandlaunchedabitterprotestagainsttheoutmodedsocialandpoliticalvaluesintheirsociety.•KingsleyAmiswasthefirsttostarttheattackonthemiddle-classprivilegesandpowerinhisnovelLuckyJim(1954).Theterm“TheAngryYoungMan”cametobewidelyused.8Realisminthe20thCenturyEnglishLiterature•Havingbeenmergedandinterpenetratedwithmodernisminthepastseveraldecades,therealisticnovelsofthe1960sand1970sappearedinanewfacewitharicher,morevigorousandmorediversifiedstyle.9Realisminthe20thCenturyEnglishLiterature•二十世纪英国现实主义文学改变了维多利亚时代那种高雅温和的倾向，加强了对英国社会的保守性和虚伪性的批判，具有一种冷峻地直面人生的特点。伦敦塔桥10Modernism•1.Areactionagainstrealism•2.Modernismtakestheirrationalphilosophyandpsycho-analysisasitstheoreticalbase.•3.Themajorthemesofthemodernistliteraturearethedistorted,alienatedandillrelationshipsbetweenmanandnature,manandsociety,manandman,manandhimself.•4.Themodernistwritersconcentratemoreontheprivatethanonthepublic,moreonthesubjectivethanontheobjective.Theyaremainlyconcernedwiththeinnerbeingofanindividual.Intheirwritings,thepast,thepresent,andthefuturearemingledtogetherandexistatthesametimeintheconsciousnessofanindividual.11ThePoetryinEnglandinthe20thCentury•Themodernistpoetsfoughtagainsttheromanticfuzzinessandself-indulgedemotionalism,advocatingnewideasinpoetry-writing.•Theyadvocatetousethelanguageofcommonspeech,tocreatenewrhythmsastheexpressionofanewmood,toallowabsolutefreedominchoosingsubjects,andtousehard,clearandpreciseimagesinpoems.12TheModernisticNovel•ThemodernistwritersgotgreatinfluencebythetheoryofFreudianandJungianpsycho-analysisandformedthenewtechnicalinnovationsofnovelcreation.•Theybelievedthatmultiplelevelsofconsciousnessexistedsimultaneousinhumanmind,thatone’spresentwasthesumofhispast,presentandfuture,andthatthewholetruthabouthumanbeingsexistedintheunique,isolated,andprivateworldofeachindividual.13TheModernisticDrama•Themoderndramatistsexpressedtheirsatiretowardstheupper-classpeoplebyrevealingtheircorruption,snobberyandhypocrisy.•TheEnglishdramaticrevolutiondevelopedindirections:theworking-classdramaandtheTheatreofAbsurd.14ThomasHardy(1840-1928)•thelastandoneofthegreatestVictoriannovelistsandpoets•oneoftherepresentativesofEnglishcriticalrealismattheturnofthe19thcentury•Famousforhisdescriptionoftheimaginarycounty“Wessex”.HisprincipalworksaretheWessexnovels.•Hardy’sworkreflectedhisstoicalpessimismandsenseoftragedyinhumanlife.15TheHardycottageinHigherBockhampton,Dorchester16TheCharacteristicsofHardy’sWorks•1.Novelsofcharacterandenvironment•2.CriticalrealismplaysanimportantroleinHardy’sworks.•3.Hardyisameditativestory-tellerorromancer.•4.Heisagreatpainterofnature.•5.Hisheroesandheroinesareallvividlyandrealisticallydepicted•6.A